Grapple Markham grapple prices....

[amigauser]

That was our only fear. Where do you buy the sleeves you mentioned?

Here is one place - Nylon Protective Sleeve (NPS)

 

[IslandTractor]

I wish they had made the lines a little longer. At full extension, there isn't much slack left.

We also discovered it seemed to work better travelling in reverse after grabbing a full load of debris so that the wheels did not grab the load and pull limbs toward the hydraulic lines.

Regarding the length of the lines, yours seem perfect as you don't want any extra as that would just leave the extra line more vulnerable when you are in the full open and curled position. You want just enough to have a smidgen of slack left at full dump with grapple closed, anything more than that is a vulnerability.

I understand what you are saying about reversing with a full grapple load of brush but I found that it was usually better to just raise the load a little higher if there were bits and pieces dangling off and in danger of being snagged by the front wheels. Brush doesn't weigh much even when you have an overly full grapple of it so there is little risk of destabilizing the tractor by lifting the load higher. I often had loads that were so big that I could not see where I was driving so I would periodically lift it very high to see underneath the load then drop it down again.

The only time I ever snagged and damaged one of the grapple cylinder hydraulic lines on my Millonzi was when I was putting a load of branches into my "burn pile". I wanted to compress the pile so I opened the grapple to dump then drove forward into the pile. One of the branches was pushed back and snagged the line (which I did not appreciate) so that when I reversed out of the pile I snagged and damaged the line at the fitting. A fifteen minute errand to a hydraulic shop (and about $25) got me going again. I now have one extra line that I keep at home in case it happens again. I don't think that is likely to happen with the Markham as you have a bigger protective plate covering the cylinder. If your hoses are zip tied or bungeed so they cannot wander out from that protective shield it would be very hard to snag them.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Last decision to make: after Kubota loader, Tach-All QA, custom 48" Markham grapple, and now which bucket??? Unfortunately, I can't actually examine any of my options since my dealer has none. Now that I've decided to "bite the bullet" and order the grapple now(which is the implement I'm most excited to try thanks to IslandFords hard sell!!) I have added Markham's bucket to the list to compare to ATI and WR Longs. I'm leaning towards Markham's, as it is way cheaper and buying a grapple, bucket, and tooth bar from Markham gives me a better price and one shipping cost. The ATI is $1240 (495lbs.), Long's is about $1000 and Melissa at Markhams gives me two choices: a 3/16" steel, 462lbs. for $488 or a heavier duty 1/4 steel, 555lbs. for $623. I was very surprised at the difference between Markham's and the others to the point of wondering that such a significant price difference may indicate lesser quality. But the heavier weight and Markham's reputation of quality leads me to feel the 1/4" steel Markham is a no brainer, unless I am overlooking something. Some posts say there is a difference between a Skid steer bucket and a utility tractor bucket in shape or style but I think my 2500lb. lift capacity would be adequate for this heavy bucket, especially since my buddies are likely to abuse it pretending to be a dozer. I don't know the wall thickness of either the ATI or Long but judging by weight, I guess they are about the same. I know I am probably overanalyzing, but to me, half the fun is figuring out what toys to buy! And hey, the money I can save with Markham's bucket could almost buy a electric over hydraulic valve! By the way, all are 72" skid steer type QA. So unless my gurus IslandFord, wedge 40, and others convince me otherwise, I will order the Markham bucket along with the grapple and tooth bar. I'm excited to put all of this together. Wish UPS could overnight all of this steel!

I forgot Markham makes buckets too. It would be a no brainer for me. Get the Markham and save a bundle. Unless you are operating a construction business, any bucket is going to last about as long as the tractor.

A bucket will vary in shape and type of steel used and where it is used. A well made bucket using appropriate thickness and steel strengths for their placement in the bucket will give a lighter bucket equal or superior to a less well designed heavy one. You need a 6" x 1/2" cutting edge from a good strong alloy like T-1 or AR400. The rest of the bucket doesnt need to be thicker than 3/16 with a few strategic reinforcements. I have a 72" Buhler Skid Steer attach bucket on my 7520 with loaded AGs and 1500# counterweight. I have used it hard. It is very strong and only has 3/16 body and 1/2" edge. The edge is a high strength steel unknown to me, but I know it is a good alloy because it would bow a lot before it started to take a set. I finally dimpled it at the cutting edge with a tooth bar and it later cracked from that damaged point. I would recommend the Buhlers for strength without excess weight. Some buckets I have used have very bendy cutting edges.
larry